How to install the Xposed Framework for Lollipop, Marshmallow or Nougat safely

Xposed is back! The best hack framework for Android has not been compatible with Lollipop, until now.

An alpha build of Xposed is available for devices running Android 5.0, including Nexus, HTC and Motorola phones. At the time of writing Samsung devices are only supported if they aren’t running stock ROMs. Users are reporting that stock ROMs cause a bootloop on Samsung handsets.

Installing Xposed on a Lollipop devies is a little more involved that it was on Android 4.x devices. Also, because it’s an alpha build and still at a largely experimental stage, it’s also more risky.

In this guide we’ll show you how to install the Xposed Framework for Lollipop safely. The same principles apply if you’re installing Xposed on Marshmallow or Nougat as well.

Make a Nandroid backup

Due to the possibility of bootloops occurring, especially on devices that are not widely tested so far, it is absolutely essential that you make a Nandroid backup before you begin.

We won’t go into details about making a Nandroid backup. There’s a guide here, if you need it, but if you don’t know how to do it at this stage then we’d recommend against installing Xposed for Lollipop until it becomes more stable.

The Nandroid backup in this instance will help you recover from bootloops. If your device fails to boot after installing Xposed, simply boot into recovery mode and restore the backup to get your phone working once again.

Install Xposed on a Lollipop device

Installing Xposed on Lollipop is currently a two-step process. The first involves flashing the file xposed-arm-20150213b.zip via recovery; the second installing the apt XposedInstaller_3.0-alpha1.apk through Android. (Note that the two filenames will change in future as newer builds are made. Just choose the most recent versions, and do check back from time to time to see if there are updates.)

Save both files onto your phone then shut it down and reboot into recovery. You need to have a custom recovery installed to use Xposed, such as TWRP.

Once your custom recovery has launched navigate your way through the menus to the Install or Flash zip option (or similar, depending on what recovery you are using). Locate the xposed-arm-20150213b.zip on your device and flash it.

Reboot your phone into the Android OS. You can now install the Xposed apk. Locate the file on your device and tap on it, the complete the installation by following the onscreen prompts. You will need to have your phone set to allow installs from Unknown sources.

Reboot your phone once more time to complete the installation.

Using Xposed for Lollipop

You are now ready to start using Xposed on your Lollipop device. Even though the process of installation is different to the previous version, the app itself is broadly the same.

Read our guide on installing Xposed modules, as well as the best modules you can get. Not all modules are immediately compatible with Lollipop, so you may need to wait for your favourites to be updated before you can use them.